Obituaries
Sci Fi Writer Jack Vance, a Cal Grad, Dies at 96
One of America's most prolific mystery and science fiction writers, Jack Vance died Sunday at his Oakland home, AP reported. A UC Berkeley grad, his first published writing appeared in The Daily Californian. His pen names included Ellery Queen.
By Dixie Jordan
Award-winning science fiction writer Jack Vance died at his Oakland home Sunday evening at the age of 96, the Associated Press reported Wednesday night.
Vance, whose legal name was John Holbrook, wrote more than 60 science fiction, fantasy and mystery books in his long career. He received a number of Hugo Awards from the World Science Fiction Society, most recently in 2010 for his memoir This is Me, Jack Vance! (Or, More Properly, This is “I”).
His pen names also included John Holbrook Vance, Ellery Queen, Alan Wade, Peter Held, John van See and Jay Kavanse, according to the Jack Vance website.
He graduated from UC Berkeley in 1942, according to the website and worked on the campus paper, the Daily Californian. "His first published writings were jazz reviews for The Daily Californian," the website says.
He was born in San Francisco and had lived in Oakland since the 1940s.
Links:
—Associated Press article in the Oakland Tribune.
—Obituary in The Guardian.
—Jack Vance Facebook page.
—Jack Vance website
—Jack Vance tribute page.
—Walden Pond Books local author webpage (at bottom of page).
—New York Times Magazine profile, "The Genre Artist," May 15, 2009.
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